photo #2923383

"Darkness and Light"What stuns me as I read the gospels is the unbelievable stubbornness of the Pharisees. They decided that Jesus was not the Messiah; not the Son of God; a mere imposter like all the other messiahs that came down from the hills one after the other. But then right in front of their eyes he performed astonishing miracles—a man’s withered hand is restored; a crippled man leaps up and carries his pallet away; a man blind for 38 years can now see better than anyone; and more than a few dead people walking around like nothing happened. How in the world can you see these things unfold before your eyes and still refuse to believe!They’re still doing it. The dead were in comas; the multitudes were embarrassed at the generosity of the small boy so they all pulled out their lunches and shared; the real blind man was at home still blind—Jesus actually met his doppleganger. You get the drift. People decide first—Jesus is not God—and proceed from there to explain away his miracles.Do they ever wonder if they might be wrong?No, they don’t. Because the god of this world, Satan, has blinded their eyes lest they should see the light of the gospel and the glory of Jesus and be saved.And I would be in that category too except God, in his mercy, lifted the scales from my eyes and let me see and believe. I can take no credit for my salvation. It was all God’s grace. I am still amazed.I stand amazed in the presenceOf Jesus the Nazarene,And wonder how He could love me,A sinner, condemned, unclean.